Work Related .9

It’s day two on this journey … approaching a 1.0 release. I’ve had a nice reception so far and enjoy seeing your interest in what’s happening here. For me, it’s rebuilding the curatorial muscle by thinking about why things are worthy of your time. Let’s jump in …

Red Bull was a brand darling for years and their content (not product) is something I still personally love and respect but Liquid Death has been chopping away in the beverage category. Initially I was not even sure what it was but as a loyal consumer now, I definitely enjoy and admittedly am currently enjoying an ice cold can of sparkling Liquid Death right now. I think initially people saw it as an alchohol alternative and the positioning and styling made it less of a question for sober folks. Seems we are way past that point now with brand collabs and product extensions driving a surprising amount of revenue.

Speaking of brand, I saw a surprising bit today on how Audi is evolving things for the Chinese market. Specific to the new AUDI E and forward, the rings will be retired outside of “heritage” products. The AUDI E is a joint venture with Chinese manufacturer, SAIC, designed just for a single (massive) market. It’s a very good looking car and a bit of a departure from even the newest Audis coming to market elsewhere. Have a feeling other manufacturers will be watching the reception and competitive state within China to see how they might also contend with so many new competitors on their home turf.

Sticking with China, it’s going to be very hard to ignore Tiktok even if they do get banned, as it’s clearly a major player without a real equal (sorry Zuck!) If you have been on the platform and enjoyed it as much as most you’ve undoubtedly seen the Shop has been steadily taking over the feed directly and through content creators. According to New Consumer, 60% of Gen Z is both aware of and uses Shop EVERY DAY. Honestly, 60% seems low … half of the active users (all ages) have made purchases with an average spend of $35 5x per year. TikTok shop is killing it in core categories and competitors like Sephora, Temu and Shein but ….

That last chart is the real money slide for me. It’s a remarkable view of how perception can be seen as reality when in fact … not so much. Though in fairness who can recall when eCommerce was just a fraction of total commerce spend? Things are changing again and probably even more quickly. Social shopping as a thing hasn’t really been cracked at scale but between the content factories 📺️ and the rise of Tiktok shop I would expect to see more coming in 2025.

Diversity of diet and activity are great ways to keep yourself mentally and physically healthy. I like to think I manage this well enough even though I certainly have a primary physical activity that dominates the others. I’ve always thought my diet was good (can always be better) and it seems diverse enough but I just learned how the vast majority of all our diets from just a few core plants. 🌱 🤯 

There used to be far more (thousands) of crop varieties that offered protection from disease and climate change but now many of these varieties are being archived and saved in The Global Seed Vault farmers and nations preserve core resources in the event of a catastrophe. Living as far away as most of us likely are from this it’s an amazing body of work I sincerely hope we do not need.

In the meantime, be sure to keep some fermented foods in your diet to help combat inflammation according to this research study which states:

I did feel pretty good reading this while enjoying my breakfast yogurt. I initially added it along with my protein waffles as a pre-workout carb/protein combo, but am now thankful there are some additional benefits as well. And speaking of feeling good did you realize that stretching your hamstring can help alleviate some lower back issues? As I’ve had reinforced in my own physical therapy journey, everything is connected and often times relieving strain and tension from the opposite end of the core and pelvic region can make a considerable difference. Highly recommended! I’ve added yoga into my routine recently and it’s been an excellent change.

Billionaires gonna billion. And it’s impossible to compete if they decide to dig in … just look ahem, at the recent election cycle! In baseball though no one can compete with Steven Cohen if he wants something … per the WSJ when $760 MILLION isn’t enough!

SNL was remarkably prescient with their joke just ahead of the announcement

fireside.yankees

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Hopefully but not really (Go Phillies!) the investment pays off better than Soto’s record on the field …

How’s my Driving? Call 1-800 … just kidding, please reply with any feedback or questions. If you have a friend or colleague you think would enjoy, please do forward and encourage them to subscribe!